A considerable amount of effort has been devoted to the improvement of the sound quality of drums. Most of the effort has been directed to the design of the shell and head of the drum and to systems for controlling the tension of the drumhead. Despite the considerable improvements that have been made in these areas, little has been done to improve the manner in which a drum is mounted on a stand. The acoustical properties of a drum suffer significant adverse effects because of the way in which the drum is mounted.
Currently, two predominant techniques are used for the mounting of drums. One technique involves drilling holes in the shell and using screws or other fasteners to connect a mounting bracket directly to the shell. The bracket can be fastened to the stand in order to mount the drum at the desired location. Although this method is commonly used, the need to drill holes in the shell detracts significantly from the tone and quality of the sound.
The other commonly used mounting technique employs a suspension system which allows the drum to vibrate in a relatively free manner, thus enhancing the tone and "feel" of the drum. However, suspension systems of this type become decreasingly effective as the drum size increases because of the increased stress on the shell and head and on the suspension components as the drum becomes larger and heavier. The tone degradation is considerable in many cases. Also, the suspension system typically suspends the drum by its rim or requires a separate mounting bracket which is attached to the shell. Neither technique is wholly successful in eliminating acoustical distortions caused by the mounting system. Rim mounted systems are located adjacent to the top or batter head of the drum, and this creates an asymmetrical condition between the batter head and the resonant or lower drumhead. The asymmetry prevents the two heads from sustaining in phase vibration which creates the predominant drum sound.